Lessons in Literature Wiki
Welcome to Lessons in Literature! In my classroom, we will be reading an assortment of novels. My goal of the class is to get students to have a better perspective and understanding of the novels presented through the lessons in them. Novels for the Classroom Literature all around the world contains underlying lessons that readers can take along with them on the journey throughout lives. Through the novels presented on the page, my high school English students will learn vital lessons that they can take into their own lives and understand the works better. THE ALCHEMIST The Alchemist is about a young shepherd boy who goes on a journey and quest for treasure to realize his "personal legend". Along his path, he runs into many obstacles and difficulties that turn is quest more into an adventure. Through these obstacles, he's able to learn how to persist to get what he wants and needs in the end. The biggest lesson presented in The Alchemist is to pursue your dreams by following what your heart desires. Each lesson in the obstacles on the boy's path teaches the him that he must always follow his heart, as it is the language of God. No matter how difficult the journey, he must go on to pursue his "personal legend". This is essential to everyday lives, for everyone has a dream. It is important that we follow our heart so that we don't let any outside influence affect our journey to find our own "personal legend". 1984 1984 is a dystopian novel by English author George Orwell. The novel is set in a province of the superstate Oceania with crazy government surveillance and public manipulation, under the control of the Inner Party that persecutes individualism and independent thinking as "thought crime." The Party seeks power entirely for its own sake. It is not interested in the good of others; it is interested solely in power. The main character of the novel, Winston Smith, is a member of the Outer Party. He works for the Ministry of Truth which is responsible for propaganda and historical revisionism. His job is to rewrite past newspaper articles so that the historical record always supports what the party said has happened. The instructions that the workers receive specify the corrections as fixing misquotations and never as what they really are: forgeries and falsifications. A large part of the ministry also actively destroys all documents that have been edited and do not contain the revisions; in this way, no proof exists that the government is lying. Smith is a diligent and skillful worker but secretly hates the Party and dreams of rebellion against Big Brother. In 1984, we learn the possible outcomes of a tyrant-like government that bans privacy, speculation, freedom of speech, books, etc. It's a very scary future that makes one think of a negative future that could be because of the people in society today. THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK This diary presents the power of written word. If we had not had some of the personal accounts from the Holocaust, we would not be able to truly understand what it was like to go through it. When it comes to Anne Frank's personal account, she teaches us many lessons that we, living in a more privileged time, wouldn't be able to fully understand. Anne Frank teaches how to persist through the most difficult life challenges, such as she did while living in hiding from Nazis. She teaches us to be honest with ourselves and face what is happening in our lives, rather than ignoring it. Through the Diary of Anne Frank, we are able to get up close and personal during such a depressing time to get a better understanding of it. We are able to get first hand, accurate knowledge of the Holocaust, and how her and her family were able to get through it. Her life during this time not only touches the readers, but it allows us to create a better perspective and sense of empathy within ourselves. Category:Browse